Focus is key for Miami Heat in Game 7 vs. Boston Celtics

MIAMI — — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra over the past two seasons has been given opportunity after opportunity to respond to any gesture or comment directed toward his team.

He's always taken the high road by simply ignoring "the noise."

It was no different when Spoelstra was asked his thoughts on Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers' saying his team packed a week's worth of luggage for its trip to Miami for Saturday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In typical Spoelstra fashion, he refused to get caught up in discussing outside factors.

"I don't care," Spoelstra said.

Next question.

While the Celtics are coming to town with enough suitcases for two games next week in Oklahoma City, the Heat would rather keep their minds on the task at hand. The focus that forward LeBron James showed during his epic Game 6 performance was nothing compared to Miami's attitude entering the final game of this best-of-seven series. One sign was forward Chris Bosh, coming in Friday for a personal workout when the team was given the day off.

"That's the personality of this group," Spoelstra said. "If we didn't have the opportunity to live in this world for two years, where we don't get caught up in … the ups and downs and the roller coaster ride of it. The guys have built up a resiliency and a mental toughness just to stay the course and stay focused."

If anything, Spoelstra said, the one positive of being the league's most scrutinized team has prepared them for moments as such. The pressure is no different from what they have endured the last two seasons.

"No, that's the world we've really tried to live in, is the world of the reality of our team," Spoelstra said. "And everything else is noise and somebody else's truth. I've said this time and time again, you can get whiplash if you try to follow every story line that's going on, on the outside."

Both teams are in similar modes, with each facing the potential demise of its current roster. There is already speculation the Big Three of James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade could be broken up if they fail to win a title. The Celtics' core of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett is also likely done after the season, regardless of what happens.

"I'm not going to let myself go down that road," Rivers said. "I would like to talk about that in two or three weeks from now."

Miami is in position to secure a second straight appearance in the NBA Finals, when a few days ago it was all but written off. The Heat faced elimination until James' 45-point effort Thursday changed the complexion of the series.

"He is committed right now to do whatever it takes, and it might be another effort like that," Spoelstra said. "It might not be needed to be that great. But whatever he is asked, he'll do. And our focus for the next 24 hours is eliminating all of this and focusing on just the game. … Our reality is what we need to do to prepare to win."

The Heat are the favorites and hold the home-court advantage. They posted the league's best home record during the regular season, and have lost just twice this post-season at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"We're going to have to play and compete at the same urgency level we played at [Thursday]," Spoelstra said. "But we'll also have to play well and probably have to beat them when they're at their best. And that's the way it should be."

Rivers said the Celtics will make a few changes in how they defend against James. Still, Rivers felt Thursday was more about James than about how the Celtics played defense. James shot 19 of 26 from the field, hitting several tough shots.

"Well, you'll see that when the game starts," Rivers said. "We're not going to do much. We do what we do. Defensively, for the most part, we have to do it better. I thought obviously LeBron had a great game. I thought there were things we should have done better in the game with the way we were playing him, and we didn't do that. That's the first thing we have to correct. Then, if we have to do something else, we'll do it."